Samantha Weiss

I am a PhD student in the social and personality program minoring in health psychology and behavioral medicine. I study the bidirectional influences of social relationships (i.e. social connection, romantic relationships, friendships, social interactions) and measures of health, including epigenetic changes, biological aging, and immune function.

Research Interests:

• Social relationships and health
  • Including how social connection, belonging, and social support shape psychological and physical well-being (e.g. epigenetics, biological aging, immune function)
• Features of social and romantic relationships (i.e. relationship formation, loss, attachment, closeness, and interpersonal dynamics) and how these contribute to well-being over the lifespan

Selected Publications:

• Weiss, S., Harris, K., Carney, O. L., Maza, V. I., Wickline, S., Henderson, A., ... & LeRoy, A. S. (2025). Initial development of the writing to heal app: A structured writing series for caregivers of spouses living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 108(2), 552-570.
• Henderson, A., Weiss, S., Harris, K., Maza, V. I., Carney, O. L., Wickline, S., ... & LeRoy, A. S. (2025). Recruiting spousal caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia for caregiver intervention research: Lessons learned from a feasibility study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 44(12), 2045-2049.

Awards and Recognitions:

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), (2023)

Updated: 10/07/26